So… Much like my nerdy pizza faced alter ego from my high school days of yore, I once shared a quality with Ryan Whitney. The inability to score.

No one can claim he hasn’t contributed to the offence with 17 assists in 19 games, 6 of those coming on the powerplay, but after botching a clear shot at the empty net last night, one has to wonder just how long the drought may continue. Maybe next time he’ll skate the puck all the way into the net instead of pushing it wide from the blue line.

The most assists tallied by a defenceman in a single season were a whopping 102 by Bobby Orr in the 1970-71 season. I don’t think we can expect to see that again anytime soon, but Whitney’s white knuckled gripping of the stick last night got me wondering who the current record holder is for most assists in a season without bulging the twine. The answer to that trivia question <insert drumroll> Damn it!!! No one seems to have researched this yet!!! Guess I’ll have to do some leg work…

Year

Player

Team

Position

Games

Goals

Assists

Points

09/10

Mattias Ohlund

TBL

D

67

0

13

13

08/09

Sean O’Donnell

LAK

D

82

0

12

12

07/08

Frantisek Kaberle

CAR

D

80

0

22

22

06/07

Anders Eriksson

CBJ

D

79

0

23

23

05/06

Danny Markov

NSH

D

58

0

11

11

04/05

LOCK OUT

03/04

Don Sweeney

DAL

D

63

0

11

11

02/03

Luke Richardson

CBJ

D

82

0

13

13

01/02

Cory Sarich

TBL

D

72

0

11

11

00/01

Mattias Norstrom

LAK

D

82

0

18

18

There you have it. I researched the last 10 seasons as a guideline and have no inclination to compare all seasons. Congrats to Anders Eriksson for the dubious disintction!

27 Responses to “The inability to score…”

Yeah Whitney is doing just fine although a few goals would look nice in his stats. Hemmer was joking about Whits missing the empty net because he was nervous lol. Somehow I think if the Ducks would have tied that game up the missed empty netter wouldn’t have been such a funny situation ala some of Horc’s fuck ups.

I noticed alot of talk about Penner to LA recently but i dont see it. Unless the Oilers are getting the centre they covet in BSchenn from LA i dont see them making any movement to the west coast (in which case Smyth may likely be the cap dump on LW with an Oiler D prospect headed to LA). The number one asset the Oilers have is not Penner or Hemsky… its cap space with no budget. The Oilers are an easy trade partner for teams looking to ship out UFAs etc. Cap space is a valuable commodity and I believe the Oilers will steal deals after the all star break in return for taking additional cap headaches. Teams will need a partner to remove weight off their roster so they can bolster their lineup in additional movements. In Dallas if they need to rid themselves of Richards, Robidas, or other big contracts… it would be edmonton getting a first phone call.
I have liked Penner as a positionally sound Oiler but im really not liking his lack of passion. Frankly, i dont care if he scores 40 goals- if he does so with pretty much no intensity than i dont care to have him on this club anymore. His coma personality is getting irritating.

the question was put to me that if Ribeiro was wanted with Penner to LA for B Schenn and Smyth… would you trade your 1st pick plus Pitlick for this season to Dallas for Ribeiro and Richards?
tough question. If RIchards was willing to sign here….
Hall Richards Eberle
Magnum Schenn Hemsky
Smyth Horcoff Brule

looks alright. to me a top 5 pick is worth more in this draft than Ribeiro and an unsigned Richards…. but if Ribeiro got you Schenn it might make it worth it as you have a few months to negotiate with Richards. If pitlick is involved i would lean towards saying no.

In the end a UFA Richards and that fake artist wimp Ribeiro are not worthy of pitlick and a top pick, even if you flip the wimp plus Penner for B Schenn and Smyth. In the end it could just result in a hope for Schenn and giving up a known in Penner and a blue chip centre in Pitlick… and watching a UFA walk away for free…and not have a 1st rd pick .

None of those scenarios make ANY sense for a team on the rebuild. I’d say target Boston again, who already have a pretty full cupboard of prospects and are a contender. If the B’s adding Penner to their lineup, it could go a long way to putting them over the top for making a long run…I want Toronto’s Pick!

But no way in hell do we trade one of our top prospects(Pitlick, who I think is going to be great) and our #1 pick for and aging vet and yet another soft skill player, even if it gets us Schenn.

And I hope you meant Ribiero like Racki said, because Robidas is fantastic value for his contract, and just may be one of the most underrated/well rounded defenseman in the NHL.

Last year Robidas finished with some good offensive numbers at 10g/41p, was NUMBER ONE in the NHL for hits, and 7th overall in blocked shots(ahead of Volchenkov), 7th overall in SOG and had 19 PP points.

First and foremost we need to solve the defensive woes. Any trade involving Penner or Hemmer must address the back end by bringing in an elite hard hitting shut down defender. If the return has to be a forward then it must be an exceptional center coming back that can both put up good numbers and play a responsible 2 way game.

to clear up an issue (i saw this one coming but didnt clarify); from what i have heard indeed RObidas and Richards and Ribeiro are available… and yes i have always been a fan of Robidas. Apparently Dallas is looking at shedding Richards and Ribeiro first and seeing if they can avoid losing Robidas… but if the market has little value for Ribeiro and his over priced 5M they might move Robidas instead/in additon to cut costs and stock up on futures. (for the record i have a great hatred towards Tootoo and Modano because of my Robidas love. Tootoo for the dirty sucker punch and Modano for not coming to the aid of a player that came to his aid. Personally if i was Modano i would have taken my stick and baseball home runned Tootoos face into the bleachers)

For a long time i wanted Robidas. He is a strong piece for any organizations RHD side. 2 or 3 years ago he was the only reason Dallas mustered a playoff run of any sort. He was then and is now a machine.
That being said Dallas is fully aware he is the easiest chip to move and would garner the highest and EASIEST return. They want to keep him but…. selling a team means changes and posturing the overall value of the asset.

i dont agree. I believe we have assets internally for defence. Next year, without aquiring anyone new, we should be better on defence thru mere departures and promotions.
If we trade for a dman … a present top pair Dman must go as well. D for D.

Uhhhhh, yeah. No to trading the pick. This year’s pool is amazing. Enough said.

Maybe Whitney just needs the right pick up line.

That moment last night was a guy thinking about how he has not scored in forever and blowing his load before he even got in the door. That’s a sex analogy for those of you who have yet to score.

Annnnnnnnnnyway, I’m still thinking he’s been pretty darn good and I’m happy we have him. His attitude is great and it’s clear the players really like him, unlike that greasy haired dude who likes to complain a lot. But hey, at least he’s a hit with the ladies. Amirite?

As for our needs on D, I said it in the other thread about Cogs; I think Cogs is eventually packaged up with another player on D (Vandermeer/Struds) and we will acquire a decent defender who is either a good prospect or a guy who just knows how to play D. A guy like Andrew Ference or a player of his skillset is what we need. I think one could be found with Cogs and another player. Maybe not who I mentioned, but they both come off the cap after this year, so they would be attractive to teams in that sense.

Chucker? seriously?
I respectfully disagree.
Cogs= no trade value
Vander/Struds = no trade value
Packaged together = even less trade value due to combining cap hits for worthless players.

I wish that you could combine 2 to 4 worthless players and make them worth something in combination but in reality i think they get even tougher to move. I dont see ever being able to trade any of those 3. they will simply have to be released when the chance comes.

if you think im wrong… what was the return on Gagne? ask philly what they got for an all star and actual NHL talent.

I wouldnt mind seeing them waive Cogs, Struds… and maybe Vandermeer. Just get it over with. You wont get much return anyways.

Then you have even more cap room which is the best asset to have. Help teams at the deadline by taking cap hits in return for picks/prospects…so that they can have an easier time making the deals they need.
I want to see what Joe Thorton dump might happen this year and the Oilers will be the first to get the call when a dump becomes available.
We got cap space and assets. We are ready.

(OIB) Those assets need to be eased into the NHL, not just thrown to the wolves. Plante, Petry, Chorney & so on stand a much better chance if there is an already established and capable defensive unit here to guild them into being everyday NHL Dmen by lessening the burden on them when they arrive on the scene here.

Ya my thoughts on the Dmen are that we DO have some good prospects.. I’m actually really excited about Petry, Plante and Belle. However, we don’t have the right NHL level d-men or forwards to help ease those guys into the league. I would like to see some better D-mentor here to help guide our rookie d, as you say.

Richards is a heck of a player, but I think our team isn’t quite going in that direction yet. Either way, trading away our #1 pick (especially the way the season is going so far) would be a bad thing to do, to say the least. Ask Burke how he feels about that choice.

as for defense, id try addition through subtraction now -first- and then see the 20+ ufa d-men that will be available next summer.

I dont have a huge problem with our top 4, although i think until Foster gets defensively stronger that he should be the bottom pair RHD. That means we could use a top 4 RHD. I like Smid and I am not going to whine about Gilbert and Whitney. Gilbert and Whitney have both looked rediculous at times but i have seen enough over time to know that they do have what it takes. I also know how expensive and rare a top 2 D man is…. good luck.

Also Foster might drop to 3rd pair where he should be but theres no way Gils and Whitney drop considering pay. So they are moved in any trade for an incoming top end Dman.

The only oilers with ANY trade value – the 3 kids, Gags, penner, Hemsky, Whitney, prospects, picks.
Without any homer glasses on those are your pieces that teams would not laugh you off the phone for. The oilers have last place talent to offer the league.
Also people will think GMs wonder how many points Penner would get if he was on a skilled team…i believe GMs would think how effective would a comatose Penner be when a team doesnt need him to even get off the bench because they have more than enough talent to get it done. I think Penner benefits more from our crap talent level than is hindered by it. I like Penner but Good teams have better players than him already and might not need to take a shot on the slug.

I wouldnt project many teams managers keeping their jobs scouting the perrenial bottom feeding team, which has had 3 coaches in 3 laughable years, in their search to find talent to aquire.
Cap space is the only asset teams are truly interested in when looking at the Oilers as a partner.

I think i agree with the journalists on this point… the oiler players better start performing ALOT better …for extended periods of time if they are going to get anything more than a prospect or cap dump/contract issue.

I think Whitney will score one, and before Christmas at that, but I have been impressed by every other part of his game. Hes got a ton of assists right now and is playing good hockey no matter how you look at it. I thought it was pretty funny when he missed the other night against the Ducks and the Oilers bench kinda got on him for that in a joking manner after Perry got the own goal.

oilinblood: Chucker? seriously?I respectfully disagree.Cogs= no trade valueVander/Struds = no trade valuePackaged together = even less trade value due to combining cap hits for worthless players.I wish that you could combine 2 to 4 worthless players and make them worth something in combination but in reality i think they get even tougher to move. I dont see ever being able to trade any of those 3. they will simply have to be released when the chance comes.if you think im wrong… what was the return on Gagne? ask philly what they got for an all star and actual NHL talent.I wouldnt mind seeing them waive Cogs, Struds… and maybe Vandermeer. Just get it over with. You wont get much return anyways. Then you have even more cap room which is the best asset to have. Help teams at the deadline by taking cap hits in return for picks/prospects…so that they can have an easier time making the deals they need.I want to see what Joe Thorton dump might happen this year and the Oilers will be the first to get the call when a dump becomes available.We got cap space and assets. We are ready.

Yup. Seriously. I’m looking at it from the perspective of cap space but from the opposite side. Cogs will have enough value to get something, Struds or Vande can get you something at the trade deadline. I’m sure of it. Put them together and you may get a cap troubled team willing to part with a guy we can use. I think it’s likely more possible that we see some deals like this soon as teams want to either change up their team in hopes of making the playoffs or want to move a guy because they need to make room for other guys.

My point is that Cogs has a very low cap hit and still has reasonable upside on the right team. I think he does have trade value, not super high, but him with another guy on and expiring contract, which is super valuable in today’s NHL, would get you a guy with one or two years left.

Sometimes it’s not a hockey trade but a cap trade. I’m thinking we can exploit this if we’re patient enough.

i recognize your point but doubt more than one would be taken by any team. you might get a team looking to use Cogs as a cheap depth guy on forward… or a cheap 18th forward 9th dman for Struds/Vander. Any team going to the playoffs with any of those 3 in their actual lineup…will be out in a sweep of the first round.

I think these guys could be picked up. Some of our other junk was moved (ex. O’Sullivan). I don’t consider Cogliano junk though. I think he’s a reclamation project waiting to happen… so another team could pick him up. He was a real hot topic a couple of years ago and one of our more called about players. So if GMs have a long enough memory, they could decide they want to reclaim him as a scoring forward. It’ll be on a team in need of depth.

As for Strudwick and Vandermeer.. I don’t think either of these are very good… but perhaps a team looking for toughness would pick them up. But it wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) be for anyone great. I do agree that both of these guys likely have negative value. It would probably be to fill out the team (i.e. 7th d-man)… at best, maybe if a team is desparate for toughness. Vandermeer has played a bit better lately, so perhaps if he starts showing that he has a physical game in him still (where the eff has that game gone??), he might garner more interest. No one seemed to think Staios or O’Sullivan would get us anything either.

Anyways, I couldn’t see a package of Cogliano and Vandy/Strudwick alone (maybe with another guy thrown in, or us taking some bad salary back on the other side to balance things), but I could see Cogliano get us a mid-round pick or a long shot prospect or other reclamation project or something of that nature on his own. As for Vandermeer, he probably has more chance of getting us anything, but it won’t be much at all, agreed.

I actually really like Cogliano still. He’s starting to adjust his game. However, I think it might be all for not. It might be best for him to play “his style” somewhere else and for us bring in someone who is already an experienced checking centerman since they really aren’t that rare.

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